Williams STTNG: Mod for ball popper housings and other parts

After a year or so of absence from this hobby and this forum, due to unforseen family problems that I had to deal with, I am back and looking forward to contibute to this forum again.

Slightly over two months ago I finally purchased a STTNG, which is one of the few machines that I really looked up to owning, and I really enjoy playing it. There were, however, a few tiny details that I really dislike in the overall very carefully and beautifully designed machine: The blank metal ball popper housings (how exactly are they called in english?) on the left and right side of the playfield.

Hence I designed custom decals in a brushed-aluminum style that I thought fits the overall theme of the machine. While I was at it I made a few more decals for places that I liked to add to.

The decals are engraved into the material (not printed!), which gives them a very nice look and touch. The decals are thin but extremely durable and even stick perfectly to the curved sufaces. Of course they can be removed without tearing and leaving any traces whatsoever.

This is the result of my work:
Detail - Aufkleber groß (resized).jpgDetail - Aufkleberdicke (resized).jpg

Left popper (Front decal on large popper housing applied slightly skewed -oops)
Nachher - Auswurf links 3 (resized).jpgNachher - Auswurf links 2 (resized).jpgNachher - Auswurf link 1 (resized).jpg
5 stickers: Left and right side of small ball popper housing, square top plate of small ball popper housing as well as front and side of large ball popper housing

Right popper
Nachher - Auswurf rechts 1 (resized).jpgNachher - Auswurf rechts 2 (resized).jpg
3 stickers: Left & right side, curved middle part

Ramps + Loop:
Nachher - Spinner (resized).jpgNachher - Delta Quadrant (resized).jpgNachher - Beta Quadrant (resized).jpg
5 stickers: Left loop & 2x spinner, beta & delta quadrant

Apron
Nachher - Apron links (resized).jpgNachher - Apron rechts (resized).jpg
2 stickers: Left and right side

Flipper bats
Nachher - Flipperfinger gesamt (resized).jpg
3 Stickers, one for each bat, with small round part in the middle that is cut separately to fit onto the existing protruding williams logo. The third sticker for the upper right bat reads "Galaxy Class", as seen in on of the previous photos.

If some of you guys are interested, please let me know. I can make more of these (complete sets only) and am willing and able ship internationally. I have finished a batch of these for a German pinball forum and the pinheads are extremely happy with their decals. As a reference, you can have a look at the thread over there (maybe using google translate): http://www.flippermarkt.de/community/forum/showthread.php?t=182992

If you are interested, please let me know by either posting here or sending me a direct message.

I have offered another pinball part here on pinside a few years back (clear diverter for JM, see here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jm-johnny-mnemonic-clear-matrix-ramp-diverter) very cheaply, but problems with cheap (=uninsured) international shipping (lost/damaged parcels/months of shipping time) resulted in one or two pinheads not recieving the part. I am very sorry for this, but can promise that this will not happen again. Due to the nature of the decals, being pretty small and flat, shipping in a padded envelope is possible, which should speed up the shipment processes and reduce risk of damage.

#2 6 years ago

AXL

Axl

KristianiaFlipperselskap

10y 84,050 1,219

Looking very good indeed!

#3 6 years ago

NJM

NeilMcRae

Pinside+ Pro!

London

11y 142K 4,243 60 20

i'm interested please

#4 6 years ago

ALX

Pahuffman

Pinside member

Yep - count me in.

#5 6 years ago

BOB

bobukcat

Pinside member

8y 99,550 5,312 1

I'm not usually a bling-mod kinda guy but these look pretty damn nice, depending on price I'd be interested.

#6 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Nycon,
I'm willing to become your North American Distributor if that helps.

Send me a PM if interested...

#7 6 years ago

CHS

Nycon

Pinside member

Zitt: Sounds interesting. I will contact you tomorrow as I have to leave for an appointment right now.

#8 6 years ago

666

john17a

Pinside member

Eatons Hill

9y 54,050 426 25 19

Im interested in these as well thanks

#9 6 years ago

JOR

jorro

Inactive member

welcome back!

ganz geil!

pm d you!

#10 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Nycon and I have reached an agreement and I have ordered 30 sets from him for distribution in North America.
It'll take 1-2 weeks for him to make them... then another 1-2 weeks for the parts to arrive.
I'll post here when I have a product page up and again when the product goes in stock.

Pricing should be "on par" with his Euro prices adjusted for currency conversion.

#11 6 years ago

JON

Schwaggs

Gameroom Mods

10y 105K 4,760 10

Awesome, thanks Nycon for offering these up and to Zitt for making it easy for us!

#12 6 years ago

MAT

supermoot

The PinVault

Indianapolis, IN

10y 54,850 425 24

I am in!

#13 6 years ago

HAR

HarryReimer

Pinside member

Baldwin, NY

9y 61,550 680 10 29

Im in.

#14 6 years ago

PNX

xeneize

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 104K 1,416

Count me in, Zitt ! Nice design, Nycon !

#15 6 years ago

M W

mwong168

Pinside member

Toronto, ON

11y 62,550 1,721 11 49

I'm in for a set!

#16 6 years ago

MGS

MikeS

Pinside+ Frequent

17y 160K 5,839 135

Looks great! I'm interested in a set!

#17 6 years ago

JJJ

Grauwulf

Pinside member

Corunna, ON

11y 36,900 166 7

I'd totally be interested too!

#18 6 years ago

CHS

Nycon

Pinside member

Thank you guys for the support and Zitt for making things easier for all of us.

If anyone of you guys from the US or Canada wants a set, please contact Zitt directly. For all other regions I still am the right guy to talk to. Otherwise just leave a comment here that you are interested and either Zitt or I will get back to you asap.

#19 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

No need to contact me directly at this time.
They will be orderable via our website at Pinball-Mods.com/oscom when I get them in stock. I will post here when I have a orderable product link.

#20 6 years ago

PPD

Boat

CPRepair

Calgary, AB

7y 106K 1,418 5 92 1

I am interested and I'll keep an eye on the thread and wait for updates. Nice work!

#21 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

I have setup a preorder link at:
http://Pinball-Mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-stng-vukbracket-dressing-p-25.html
for those that want to be notified as soon as they go in stock. Simply click the red "Out of Stock" link at the top of the page and enter your email address and our site will notify you as soon as they are available.

Nycon is still working on the decals; so they haven't shipped yet.

#22 6 years ago

FRX

Frax

Pinside member

Conyers, GA

11y 103K 16,662 2 9

Spendy, but really awesome and shockingly theme appropriate. If I still owned a STTNG I'd definitely be in on these! Looks -way- better than other things I've seen to cover them up or just powdercoated.

#23 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Given these are laser etched decals; machine time takes a more important role than a simple printed vinyl cut sheet. Given the kind of money Pinblade, Aprons, and other printed vinyl costs; I really don't think these are priced outside of the market.

I don't yet have mine - so can't comment on the quality yet - but I will say that the amount of time needed to etch the decals with a laser cutter makes the price somewhat understandable.

That's why I decided to become a distributor without having seen them first hand... as I really think the laser etching makes this a more resilient product in the long term.

#24 6 years ago

MJO

Mocean

Pinside member

11y 72,550 1,350

Very cool product. Thanks Nycon and Zitt. I'll be ordering a set as soon as they come in.

#25 6 years ago

RPG

tilted81

Pinside+ Addict

11y 104K 2,329 45

Quoted from Zitt:
Given these are laser etched decals; machine time takes a more important role than a simple printed vinyl cut sheet. Given the kind of money Pinblade, Aprons, and other printed vinyl costs; I really don't think these are priced outside of the market.

I think they are quite reasonable. Certainly cheaper than my idea was

#26 6 years ago

ABC

arakissun

Pinside member

Varna

12y 63,650 1,990 1

PM send

#27 6 years ago

ALX

Pahuffman

Pinside member

These really do look great. They add some class to the original product without being too flashy or over the top. I put in for notification and will buy as soon as they come available.

#28 6 years ago

ALX

Pahuffman

Pinside member

Out of curiosity, will this be fixed on the final product?

pasted_image (resized).png

I know - I know. I'm nit picking.

#29 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Quoted from Pahuffman:
Out of curiosity, will this be fixed on the final product?

I know - I know. I'm nit picking.

Nycon will have to confirm; but I'm guessing that every VUK will be slightly different in terms of assembly/welding; so it'd be impossible to get a "common" decal which worked in every case.

#30 6 years ago

GMB

bigdaddy07

Pinside+ Frequent

O'fallon, MO

13y 106K 4,698 5 28

I think these look great. If done well, it's going to have that "hard to imagine not having them" look.

#31 6 years ago

CHS

Nycon

Pinside member

Pahuffman: As you might be able to see the decal in the photo is mounted somewhat askew as well. I was a bit too lazy and did not remove the other VUK in front, or the big one, which would have made correct placing the decal much easier. I can place the decal on my large VUK (with the back on, so it is not sticking on immediately) well over the visible welding points. You might, however, end up with slightly different spacing between the outer side of the decal and the outer edge of the VUK, as there seem to be at least two versions out there, as I had to adjust the size down as two guys from the German forum reported that the decals were slightly too large for the metal parts they found in their machine. I visited on of them and took measurements. Hence I decided to ship out decals that fit on every machine without having to be cut for size-adjustment later on.

1 week later

#32 6 years ago

ALX

Pahuffman

Pinside member

OP
Quoted from Nycon:
As you might be able to see the decal in the photo is mounted somewhat askew as well. I was a bit too lazy and did not remove the other VUK in front, or the big one, which would have made correct placing the decal much easier. I can place the decal on my large VUK (with the back on, so it is not sticking on immediately) well over the visible welding points. You might, however, end up with slightly different spacing between the outer side of the decal and the outer edge of the VUK, as there seem to be at least two versions out there, as I had to adjust the size down as two guys from the German forum reported that the decals were slightly too large for the metal parts they found in their machine. I visited on of them and took measurements. Hence I decided to ship out decals that fit on every machine without having to be cut for size-adjustment later on.

Thanks for the clarification. Hopefully these are in stock soon! Really looking forward to adding that extra bit of class and flash.

#33 6 years ago

PCR

archaik

Pinside member

Madrid

12y 25,150 96 3

really nice work here, congrats
not so sure for the flipper bats but the rest is really cool and well integrated in the game

#34 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Has anyone heard from Nycon ?
He's dropped off the radar and is not answering emails or PMs.
Last post on the German forums was from 5/2 but the google translate didn't really help shed any light on what's going on.

#35 6 years ago

JOR

jorro

Inactive member

Quoted from Zitt:
Has anyone heard from Nycon ?
He's dropped off the radar and is not answering emails or PMs.
Last post on the German forums was from 5/2 but the google translate didn't really help shed any light on what's going on.

i havent heard from him,
i ordered a set and paypaled , and pm d with him about the sending etc, but no set no awnsering anymore.

maybe he's on vacation? or just bussy
hope to get mine soon.
(probably bussy drinking beer, he is german )

#36 6 years ago

CHS

Nycon

Pinside member

Sorry for being "off radar" for a week, but everything went a little haywire here. We had an unexpected death and a stomach cancer diagnosis in the family, both in one week. All in all that was a little bit too much and I had to prioritize, family first, always. I can only ask for your understanding in this situation.

Zitt's sets are almost completed and will either ship Monday. Same goes for jorro's.

The most recent posts on the German forum concern two people mentioning that the flipper bat decals are too large for the bats they have installed. This strikes me as odd, as all my machines have the same size bats (74mm / 2,91 inches).

#37 6 years ago

ALX

Pahuffman

Pinside member

OP
Quoted from Nycon:
Sorry for being "off radar" for a week, but everything went a little haywire here. We had an unexpected death and a stomach cancer diagnosis in the family, both in one week. All in all that was a little bit too much and I had to prioritize, family first, always. I can only ask for your understanding in this situation.
Zitt's sets are almost completed and will either ship Monday. Same goes for jorro's.
The most recent posts on the German forum concern two people mentioning that the flipper bat decals are too large for the bats they have installed. This strikes me as odd, as all my machines have the same size bats (74mm / 2,91 inches).

We're definitely wishing you and your family peace during this time. There certainly are things that are more important than pinball.

#38 6 years ago

JOR

jorro

Inactive member

Quoted from Pahuffman:
We're definitely wishing you and your family peace during this time. There certainly are things that are more important than pinball.

amen!!

#39 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

Nycon, Thanks for the update and wishing you and yours a speedy recovery.

#40 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sttng-full-tilt-modding#post-3658010

Nycon tells me mine have shipped and has provided me with a tracking number.
Will post notify people on the pre-order first... then roughly a day later post here when they go in stock.

If you still want to be on the wait list see post #21 for the link/instructions.

#41 6 years ago

knockerlover

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 125K 1,999 38

Following. Filled out the preorder form, definitely need a set of these for my (full tilt modding sttng).

#42 6 years ago

JOR

jorro

Inactive member

just recieved mine today, thanx nycon!
had to adjust/ cut a little cause my poppers have a dent in them , but was easy great material.
like it a lot!

P_20170518_165447 (resized).jpg

P_20170518_165511 (resized).jpg

P_20170518_165505 (resized).jpg

P_20170518_165454 (resized).jpg

P_20170518_161115 (resized).jpg

1 week later

#43 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

All,
As promised, I gave the preorder people 24hrs to order in advance. I sold nearly half of my stock the first 24 hrs.
As a result these are now in limited quanities so this will be first-come-first-served.
If I cannot fill your order because I run out of stock; I'll have to refund your order as the inventory tracking portion of our website isn't working for this product for some reason.

For North America only: I am shipping most orders in a "stay flat" mailer with tissue paper protecting the surface of the decals to aid in preventing shipping related damage due to shifting in the package. Additionally; Check the complete mailer for a small craft colored envelope. This envelope has a the flipper toppers, spinner decal, and a couple of bracket decals. Again; this envelope is used to help prevent scratches during shipping. I reserve the right to adjust packaging based upon companion items on the order and make changes based upon feedback from customers.

Now in stock for North America (USA, Canada, Mexico):
http://Pinball-Mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-stng-vukbracket-dressing-p-25.html

These are priced the same as Nycon's at 39Euros... adjusted to USD based upon the current exchange rate.

#44 6 years ago

ARD

Jean-Luc-Picard

Inactive member

Unknown

11y 75,550 4,510 17

I was about to adjust my uniform and say "shut up Wesley"...

Till you had me at "The decals are engraved into the material (not printed!), which gives them a very nice look and touch."

I then said, make it so...

#45 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

I LOLed.

#46 6 years ago

MJO

Mocean

Pinside member

11y 72,550 1,350

Hmm. Placed an order but got a paypal error. Here's hoping I'm not too late!

#47 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt

The paypal error is a new feature they introduced a couple of months ago which I haven't been able to duplicate using their developer sandbox.
Pretty much "expected" behavior now... so patiently wait for the paypal transaction to show up in your account and you are good.

Mocean, Your order was received.

#48 6 years ago

ZIT

Zitt